Knowledge of Self: From James Harden to Kobe Bryant

If the Thunder is expected to make the Finals this year, it's not because of some logical progression that teams on the rise are supposed to follow. Oklahoma City made the Conference Finals in 2011, but the Grizzlies played them close in the preceding round; the Lakers, Spurs, and Clippers are all forces this postseason in a way they weren't last year.

The Thunder work together in ways that weren't always apparent last year. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have improved individually and as a tandem, in large part due to the mediating role of James Harden, who played hero for Saturday's game. There's also the maturation of Serge Ibaka into the league's leading shot-blocker and runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year. It's a deep, multi-faceted roster that now has more than its share of supremely strong individual talents. Basically, this team is too good to be true.

That's why, after Harden put his stamp on the series and announced to the world that he can be every bit the dynamo that Durant or Westbrook is, there were immediately calls for some team to sign Harden to a max contract. He'll be a restricted a year from now, which means the Thunder will try to preempt other teams' offers by securing an extension before then. Granted, Harden isn't a starter, but his ever-expanding role on the Thunder and his rapid growth suggest he's in for a sizable payday. The question is whether Harden will run to the highest bidder or be looking to stick with OKC, a team that perfectly suits his strengths and looks to be a contender for the foreseeable future. It really comes down to a matter of self-awareness; Harden runs a tremendous risk of sidetracking his career and almost certainly taking himself out of the running for a short-term championship, if he goes elsewhere.

What's more, there's every reason to suspect that the Thunder are prepared to be quite generous with Harden. They know what his market value is and how key he has become to this squad. It's certainly a contingency they have prepared for. Sam Presti has built this team through brilliant drafting, the downside of which is that one day, the kids are of age and demanding huge contracts. Get Harden, who was anything but an obvious pick, right and he's potentially looking at three max players, to say nothing of the money Serge Ibaka will fetch. Ibaka is up for his first big deal at the same time as Harden, and unlike Harden, is likely to be allowed to test the waters. And some team will give him more than Presti wants to pay.

Ibaka is proficient at swatting shots, but he's not much of a factor on offense and not as threatening defensively or on the glass as he could be. He's going to get offered an inflated contract by someone, and he knows it. His decision is far less complicated than Harden's will be, unless you believe that athletes should overlook vast differences in contract size in order to keep a nucleus intact and go for the ultimate prize. Maybe Ibaka will opt to do that. But in his case, it would be as unsubtle as leaving.

No one has ever accused Kobe Bryant of lacking in self-awareness, or self-consciousness. However, usually always assumed to be a means to an end: an unrelenting, remarkably unreflective idea of who he is as a player. This year, though, we've seen some telling shifts in behavior that hint at a new version of his award-winning ego. Kobe had a perfectly monstrous season, nearly leading the league in scoring and helping rally the team after an unhappy first half when he often resorted to chucking.

If 2007-08 was, symbolically, the season Kobe learned to trust others, it was still very much a transaction between that implacable self and rest of the team, mediated by a funny little thing called personality. This season, perhaps because he's as smart as he is stubborn, Kobe started to recognize his own mortality and learn to not just include teammates but defer, even, to the idea of a team. That's very different than deigning to participate, a structural shift as opposed to a merely tactical one.

Especially in these playoffs, we've seen Kobe Bryant seemingly acknowledge that Andrew Bynum is more reliable option than he is. That doesn't mean he's eschewing shots, or not getting his points. But he lets whole possessions revolve around Bynum without making the slightest attempt to draw attention or assert his presence. Bynum is the focal point; looking for him down low is the endgame, and getting it to Kobe to create is a bailout.

Bryant seems intent on making it clear to others that when Bynum is playing like a man among boys, he is indeed The Man. Bryant spends long stretches in a supporting role, or at least as a second option. He knows that he won't get many more chances. That's why, finally, we see Bryant really sublimating his ego, even if it's only motivated by devilishly rational self-interest.

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